What was thought to be a raccoon likely was bear cub outside Kansas home, experts say

What a Kansan first thought to be an “all-black raccoon” recorded by his Ring security camera was actually likely a bear cub, experts say.

In the minute-long video shared to Ring Neighbors on Jan. 22, the critter is seen exploring outside a Winfield home on Jan. 8.

“Beware,” the video description says. “Posting this now since it has been confirmed. ... This is a black bear cub. Watch out for your pets and if you see it contact KSDWP.”

The video was shared by Maverick Osenbaugh, who talked with The Topeka Capital-Journal regarding the recorded encounter.

“We had tried to, I don’t know, convince ourselves otherwise thinking there’s no way something like that could’ve happened,” Osenbaugh told the newspaper. “Our first thought, ‘Oh, it’s just an all-black raccoon,’ We looked it up, all-black raccoons are very very rare. Even all-black raccoons have some markings.”

He says he rewatched the video several times, wondering “what kind of animal is that?” according to the Capital-Journal.

Kansas Wildlife and Parks Furbearer Biologist Matt Peek confirmed to McClatchy News that wildlife experts with the department have watched the video and sent it to bear biologists in other states for additional opinions.

“The consensus is that this is a black bear cub, but certain features of the animal - both what you can and can’t see - leave some doubt,” he said.

For instance, he says the animal appears to “have an injured back leg and is moving at a labored gait.”

Peek said there are no “resident bears” in Kansas, and bears in Oklahoma are quite a distance, so it is unexpected for a bear to be in this area.

“In addition to the location being unexpected, a yearling bear cub should have been denned up with its mother this time of year,” he added. “The sow or the den could have been disturbed, or there could be some type of health issue such as starvation that would cause a cub to come out and/or get separated from the sow this time of year, but this is not typical.”

Because there’s no evidence of a bear sow in the area, Peek said there is low risk to people and pets in the area.

“If people see it, give it space and respect the fact that even though it’s not large, it is still a wild animal with sharp teeth and claws,” he said. “People should keep their distance, secure evidence if they are able (like a phone video), and report to me in the Emporia office.”

The department can be reached at 620-342-0658.

Bears in Kansas

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks says that American black bears were common throughout the state, mostly in the east, until they were extirpated in the late 1800s. They are still found in nearby Missouri and Oklahoma, near southeast Kansas, and in Colorado and New Mexico.

“Today, a transient black bear will sporadically appear in the southeast or southwest corner of the state, but there is no evidence of an established wild population living in Kansas,” the department says. “The few confirmed black bear sightings are typically of young males wandering into Kansas from another state.

“For a few years in the early 2000s, an American black bear was documented in Morton County in southwestern Kansas each spring. It was reportedly fond of feasting on spring wheat and may have come from Colorado or New Mexico. In June 2015, a juvenile bear was seen near Weir and in Galena in Cherokee County. It may have wandered into Kansas from Missouri, Arkansas or northeast Oklahoma.”

Winfield is about 45 miles southeast of Wichita.

This story was originally published January 27, 2022 at 8:54 AM with the headline "What was thought to be a raccoon likely was bear cub outside Kansas home, experts say."